Week 23 - Schedule, Schmedule!

( 1/20/08 - 1/26/08)

Week 23 - Schedule, Schmedule!

Overall Paul and I have a very easy time with Jake when it comes to having him on a schedule. He has been that way since the day he was born. I don't know if the 4 days in the NICU with those ladies who are like schedule nazi's was what did it, or if he is just inheriting the easy going baby genes from myself and Paul. According to both of our mothers we were very good sleepers as babies/children. I guess if I had to have my son inherit anything from me I am glad he got the good "schedule/sleep" genes!!!

Jake started sleeping a 5 hour shift at night when he was 6 weeks old, by 2 1/2 months was sleeping a 6-7 hours stretch, and of course by 4 months and even now he will sleep 8+ hours at night. He even is on a very nice schedule during the day. I recently got him on a 3 hour eating schedule (he still wanted to eat every two hours during the day) and he will stay awake for about 2 hours and then sleep an hour. It is really nice because Paul and I know that every two hours or so we will get a nice little break to do chores or just relax.

HOWEVER!!!!!!!

This week has been a little different. Jake is definitely a people watcher so when I go out to the mall or grocery store he is usually wide awake and is watching everything!!!! But we have a magic sleeping pill in the form of his car seat! It has never failed to put him to sleep within minutes of pulling out of the garage. He could have just gotten up from a nap and will still succumb to the powers that are "THE CAR SEAT!!!!"

Well this week I went to the grocery store one day and then the mall two days later. On both days he stayed up way past his 2 hours because there were too many cool things to look at while I was out. At the time I didn't worry about it because I had a 30+ minute car ride ahead of me that would put him to sleep. Weeeellllllll....I am sure you saw this coming..... he DIDN'T SLEEP!!!

What????? He didn't sleep???? I kid you not! He not only didn't sleep but then continued to not sleep even after I got home! On both days he missed his 2pm'ish nap and proceeded to stay up until 8:30-9:00 that night before going to sleep. He ended up sleeping the entire night (thank God for small favors) but in the meantime he was mad, cranky, and moody!!!

Oh well...I guess every now and then it is OK to not have a good sleeping day. Overall I am very blessed to have a baby who so naturally took to a schedule, I have heard horror stories from other mothers who had babies well past one year old that still weren't sleeping through the night.

So from here on out I will try not to plan my outings around his 2pm'ish nap and hope that he doesn't make it a habit to skip naps and drive his parents insane!